Leading International Hospitality Company will Capitalize on Demonstrable Consumer Preference for Hyatt Brands;

Hyatt Opens Dubai Office for Southwest Asian Regional Expansion Plans

The president and chief executive officer of Global Hyatt Corporation, one of the world’s premier hotel companies, has said that the Middle East region offers key growth opportunities for the company.

Hyatt operates more than 750 hotels and resorts in more than 45 countries, including eight in the Middle East, but it has aggressive regional expansion plans.

Global Hyatt Corporation in January of this year opened in Dubai a southwest Asia divisional office to manage four existing properties in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and six in India, but also 18 new projects in progress across the GCC and India and scheduled for completion from now until 2013.

Mark Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer, Global Hyatt Corporation says: “Hyatt will nearly triple its number of properties in southwest Asia over the next five years. And we believe that growth will only be sustained if we adhere to strict brand standards that continue to differentiate Hyatt hotels from others in the industry.”

Hyatt Chairman Thomas Pritzker – whose family founded the privately held Hyatt hospitality group fifty years ago – also believes that there is growing international brand preference for Hyatt hotels.

“Hyatt has a long, rich history in the Middle East, and we expect our reputation for excellence in hospitality to grow significantly over the next five decades,” says Pritzker. “One thing we know for certain is that the Hyatt brand resonates strongly with Middle East consumers traveling inside and outside the region.”

Hyatt, which first entered the region in 1980, has said that it will conduct an international meeting of general managers in Dubai in mid-March. More than 400 GMs from around the world will meet to discuss, among other issues, adherence to Hyatt’s demanding brand standards. Both the Chairman and the CEO and President of Global Hyatt Corporation are expected to be in attendance.